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It's now officially summer and after maybe one more hockey game, baseball will be at the center of the sports stage all by itself! Fantasy baseball is already more than in full swing, with last place teams starting to worry and first place teams starting to get comfortable. But hey, there's still plenty of time left, we haven't even made it to the All-Star Break yet. If you're in last place, you still have time, don't worry! If you're in first place, there's still time for other teams to catch up, worry! Whether you're worried or not, Closers and Saves Report is here to help.
This week, we saw an exciting but struggling closer wind up on the injured list. We saw the Boston bullpen continue to confuse pretty much everyone in baseball, but maybe developing some clarity at the same time. We saw a closer who hadn't pitched in almost two years show up on a big league mound. We also saw a closer who had never taken an at-bat step into the batter's box after 14 years in the bigs. It was a strange week for bullpens, read on for more details!
Be sure to also keep an eye on our RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves Bullpen Depth Charts. They're updated daily, or sometimes even more often in this wild 2022 baseball season.
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Oakland Athletics - Bullpen and Closers News
The A's bullpen had been anchored by a surprisingly good Dany Jimenez for most of the season until he began to struggle and question marks quickly began popping up. Still, he was holding on to his job, although maybe not as tightly as he had before. That all changed this week, and not by choice, as Jimenez landed on the injured list with a shoulder injury. The good news is that an MRI reportedly showed no structural damage, so his stint on the IL may not be too long. Still, someone will need to close games for Oakland in the meantime, and manager Mark Kotsay mentioned A.J. Puk and Zach Jackson as the primary options to fill in. Both can be added in holds leagues, but managers in saves-only leagues may want to wait and see how the A's handle their first save chance or two.
Risers: A.J. Puk, Zach Jackson
Fallers: Dany Jimenez
Cincinnati Reds - Bullpen and Closers News
The Reds bullpen has been a mess all year long, but the mess got even messier this week, as now Lucas Sims, Tony Santillan, and Alexis Diaz are all on the injured list. That leaves Hunter Strickland and Jeff Hoffman likely in a righty/lefty platoon for the 9th inning, with Joel Kuhnel somewhere around as well. It's likely one of those bullpens best avoided in most fantasy leagues, but if you absolutely need to roster a Reds reliever, Strickland is likely the best bet.
Risers: Hunter Strickland, Jeff Hoffman
Fallers: Alexis Diaz
Boston Red Sox - Bullpen and Closers News
After a season of Elmo on fire gifs and just confusing 9th innings, the Red Sox look like they've started to get things figured out in their bullpen. Tanner Houck was used more or less as a traditional closer this past week, with John Scheiber cementing himself as the key handcuff and setup man. Houck is still unlikely to pitch a ton, leaving save chances around for guys like Matt Strahm, but Houck has made it clear that he is the Red Sox reliever to roster in most fantasy formats. Schreiber should have plenty of value in holds leagues and can be a fantasy asset as well. It's a good day when I can stop bothering my editors with, "Hey, have we figured out a way to just have the Elmo fire gif under the Red Sox bullpen chart instead of any names?"
Risers: Tanner Houck, John Schreiber
Fallers: Hansel Robles, Matt Strahm
Short Relief - Other Bullpen News
-Jose Leclerc hasn't pitched in two years, but now he's back in the Rangers bullpen! He...hasn't been great, but if he is able to return to form, he could factor into the late innings in Texas.
-Ken Giles also pitched for the first time in almost two years, rejoining the Mariners bullpen. Manager Scott Servais has already said that he won't throw Giles into any high leverage situations right away, but it's not hard to see him working his way into more and more significant innings if he stays healthy and pitches well.
-Tanner Scott looks like he's the official Marlins closer, even though manager Don Mattingly hasn't explicitly said so. He's been used exclusively in save situations for about two weeks now, and has converted all but one of his chances. He's worth an add in all formats.
-The Phillies bullpen, in its post-Knebel era, looks like it will be Brad Hand and Seranthony Dominguez sharing the 9th inning. With Dominguez being the righty, he gets the nod as the one to roster if you need a Phillies reliever in standard leagues.
-The Rays have only recorded four saves in the month of June, but three of them have gone to Colin Poche. It's still (and always) a committee in Tampa Bay, but Poche does seem to have the biggest piece of that pie.
-Griffin Jax has emerged as a solid option in the Twins bullpen. Manager Rocco Baldelli has said he'd rather not name an official closer, but Emilio Pagan's struggles combined with Jhoan Duran's incredible upside might make things harder and harder for Baldelli.
-Cubs closer David Robertson did something this week that he hadn't ever done in his 14-year career: he took an at-bat! It ended up in a strikeout...against a position player on the mound because baseball is amazing.
-The Orioles bullpen has been really, really good this season. No, really. Look them up.
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